A New Understanding
by amy.werner.794
Summary: Lee discovers that one conversation has the potential to change many lives. This will be a three chapter stand alone story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I am borrowing their characters for entertainment purposes only.

Author's note: This story is set in the middle of June 1987. The mystery marriage is still a secret.

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A New Understanding, chapter 1

Lee eased his car into a parking space on the rain slicked street and looked down at the drenched paper bag that held the Chinese take out that he'd been looking forward to having for dinner and shook his head in disgust. _'Don't worry about the threatening clouds on your commute home; it won't rain until later this evening.' Damn weatherman; don't any of them know what they're talking about._ Lee grabbed the bag, got out of the car and made a mad dash for his apartment building. As he reached the building's entrance the doorman opened the lobby door and greeted him.

"Good evening, Mr. Stetson, you have a visitor waiting for you." Lee glanced around the lobby but didn't see anyone there. He was soaked to the skin and he suspected that his dinner was ruined so he was in no mood to deal with an uninvited visitor.

"I don't see anybody and I'd really like to get up to my apartment. If whoever it was comes back you can phone me and I'll let you know if it's someone I want to see," Lee said brusquely as he brushed past the doorman.

"Mr. Stetson, I was certain that you would want to see him so I let him into your apartment so that he could dry off," he advised Lee.

An already irritated Lee growled," you let someone into my apartment because YOU were certain that I'd want to see him. Just who is this visitor?"

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't think you'd want Mrs. King's son to stand in the lobby in his wet clothes until you arrived. He introduced himself and I recognized him from the snapshots that Mrs. King has shown me."

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have jumped on you. Excuse me, I need to go up and find out why he's here by himself."

As Lee rode the elevator to his floor he tried to figure out why Philip would show up at his apartment alone and when he wasn't expecting him. On the few occasions when the boys had visited his apartment he'd gone out of his way to make them feel welcome and they'd enjoyed each others company but their visits had always been scheduled in advance.

"Phillip," Lee called out as he opened his front door and walked into the empty living room," Phillip, I'm home," he called more loudly.

"Hi Lee, it's me, not Phillip," his younger stepson said as he poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Ahh, hi Jamie, I wasn't expecting you," a surprised Lee said as he slowly walked towards his kitchen.

"I'm sorry I'm not Phillip," Jamie said awkwardly as he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and then looked at the floor.

"Don't ever be sorry that you aren't your brother," Lee said quietly as he tentatively walked closer to Jamie.

"It was Phillip that you were expecting," Jamie said as he stole a glance at Lee.

"I wasn't expecting either one of you until my doorman told me that he'd let Mrs. King's son into my apartment. I'm surprised that your mother would let either one of you come all this way alone but since Phillip is older I assumed he was here," Lee reasoned as he noticed that Jamie was still quite wet.

"Well…umm…actually Mom wouldn't allow either one of us to come here alone but I needed to talk to you privately about something really important. I came straight into the kitchen so that I wouldn't drip all over your apartment and I sat here and waited for you to get home. Maybe I shouldn't be bothering you after you've worked all day, I'll just leave now, we can talk some other time," Jamie said without stopping to take a breath.

"You're not going anywhere," Lee said as he put his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Where does your mom think you are," he asked as he placed the bag of Chinese food that he was still holding on the kitchen counter.

"If she got home late because of the weather she probably assumes that I'm in my room doing my homework. I don't think she'll realize that I'm gone until dinner is ready."

"I think that your mom's going to be very upset that you came all the way here without getting permission from her or your grandma before you left the house."

"Mom's going to be furious with me but if you and I can come to an understanding it will be worth it. I don't usually like to take big risks but since I messed everything up it's up to me to fix things. I don't want your dinner to be ruined so if you want to sit down and eat it while I talk to you I won't be offended," Jamie concluded and looked at Lee to gauge his reaction.

"You definitely take after your mom," Lee said as he walked over to a cabinet and took out two dinner plates. _The ability to say all that without stopping to take a breath must be in the genes._

"That's good isn't it?" Jamie eyed the second plate and couldn't help thinking that the food smelled very good and even though he was nervous he was starting to get hungry.

"Taking after your mom is very good but sometimes I find her confusing as hel…heck."

"Don't worry, Lee, I hear much worse language in school," Jamie laughed. "Is that second plate for me," he asked hopefully.

"Yes, we can share whatever isn't too water logged to eat. I'm going to get some towels so that you can dry yourself off before we eat. I'll bring your towels in here and I'll dry off and change out of my suit in the bedroom." Lee left the kitchen and quickly returned with two large towels and a pair of gym socks which he handed to Jamie.

"Take off those wet sneakers, dry off and make yourself at home; I'll be back in a few minutes and then we can have dinner and talk," Lee said as he smiled at a slightly skittish looking Jamie, "Even though I was surprised to find you here; I'm glad that you came."

Lee went back to his bedroom and Jamie began to towel himself off. _I sure hope I don't make things worse; maybe I should have given this more thought? No, thinking is all I ever do; it's time for me to take action._


	2. Chapter 2

A New Understanding, chapter 2

Lee entered his bedroom and quickly stripped off his wet clothing; leaving it in a pile at the foot of his bed. He strode into the bathroom and quickly toweled himself dry and then ran his lucky comb through his hair. As Lee returned to the bedroom he wondered who was more nervous; himself or Jamie. He pulled on a polo and a well worn pair of jeans, sat down on the bed and reached for the phone. He dialed Amanda's number and waited to hear his wife's voice.

"Hello," she answered breathlessly as she'd been rushing around her kitchen.

"Hi, it's me."

"I love hearing your voice but I thought that we agreed that you'd go home and I'd have dinner alone with the boys. There is something strange going on between them and I'm determined to find out what it is. I'm ready to put dinner on the table; may I call you back later?"

"No," Lee replied curtly, worried that Jamie would start wondering what was taking him so long.

"What do you mean 'no'? Its dinner time and I'm sure the boys must be starving."

"I know Jamie is; he's waiting to have dinner in MY kitchen."

"He's what," Amanda squeaked as she clutched the phone tightly.

"I said he's-," Lee tried to explain.

"How did he get to your place?"

"My guess is he took the Metro but I didn't ask him that yet. I'm more concerned with-"

"I'll be right over," Amanda interrupted him again.

"No, don't come, Jamie told me he came here because he needed to talk to me in private and I want to hear him out. After we talk and eat I'll bring him home. I'll see you later. Bye." Lee quickly hung up the phone because he didn't want to leave Jamie waiting any longer then he already had. He returned to the kitchen where Jamie was busily setting the table for dinner.

"Hey Lee, what did my mom say, how soon will she be here," Jamie asked a blindsided Lee.

"How did you know I called your mom?"

"I'm just a kid but I'm not dumb," Jamie replied good naturedly. "I guess you won't have to share your dinner after all."

"You're a smart kid but you're wrong about dinner. We're going to have dinner and talk and then I'll drive you home," Lee said as he tousled Jamie's hair and walked past him to the kitchen counter. Jamie came to stand next to him while Lee opened the wet bag and removed an assortment of take out containers which he spread out on the counter.

"What's on the menu," Jamie asked curiously.

"We can start with the wonton soup since it's in a plastic container; I'll just warm it up on top of the stove. I also got egg rolls, shrimp in lobster sauce over brown rice and mixed vegetables in garlic sauce. We'll have to see how they held up," Lee said as he eyed the somewhat soggy looking traditional white cardboard containers dubiously.

"You can stick the egg rolls in the stove for a few minutes; it'll warm them up and dry them out a little at the same time. Don't worry about the other stuff; it's in gravy so it is supposed to be wet," Jamie stated cheerfully.

"Jamie, you make a good point, I like your attitude." Lee poured the soup into a pot and placed it on the top of the stove and turned it on. Jamie began to unwrap the egg rolls while Lee got a baking sheet to warm them on.

"Lee, I'm not always a jerk, I know that must be hard for you to believe." Lee immediately stopped what he was doing and turned to Jamie.

"I don't think that you're a jerk." Lee furrowed his brow and looked at Jamie with a concerned expression on his face. "What makes you think that I do?"

"A lot of people think that I'm a jerk… well maybe not a jerk… more like I'm a geek or a dork," Jamie stated resignedly.

"I don't think that you're any of those things," Lee replied as he continued to study Jamie's demeanor. "Has Phillip been giving you a hard time?"

"Phillip says that he doesn't care if I mess up my own life but he's tired of my messing up other peoples' lives too. He said that if people could trade in brothers the same way as they trade in a car he'd trade me in." Jamie turned away from Lee and made a show of peeking into the unopened take out containers.

"I don't know what it's like to have a brother from personal experience but from what I hear it's perfectly normal for you guys to get on each others' nerves from time to time. If Phillip suggested that you've 'messed up' his life he is out of line."

"That's what I thought too at first but then he started making a list of all the things that I've messed up and I realized that Phillip is right…although I didn't admit that to him." Jamie said the last part with some satisfaction. Lee walked over to the stove to stir the soup and surreptitiously see Jamie's face.

"Can you give me an example of something that Phillip said that you messed up?"

"Okay, I guess I should start at the beginning, it'll be easier that way. If the soup is ready I can talk and eat at the same time."

"Sounds good to me; go sit down in the dining room and I'll bring the soup." Lee followed him with two bowls; he placed one in front of Jamie, and then sat down across the table from him.

"Last week Phillip's friend Tommy invited him to spend the whole weekend with him and his family. Tommy's family devotes one weekend a month to doing family stuff; instead of going their separate ways they do everything together. They play ball, see movies, go places; all kinds of good stuff. Phillip was happy to be invited to go along with them but then Tommy uninvited him," Jamie explained as he slowly stirred his soup around in the bowl.

"Why did Tommy take back his invitation?"

"Because of me. Tommy's mother told him that if he invited Phillip he had to invite me too because the whole point of having a family weekend is for families to do stuff together. Tommy didn't want to include me because I'm not as good at sports as they are and I'm boring. Phillip said it is my fault that he is missing out on a fun weekend; he thinks Tommy is right about me."

"Phillip knows better than to judge people based on their athletic abilities. He should also realize that you aren't boring; you and he just don't share as many of the same interests as you did when you were both younger. Phillip is disappointed about this weekend but he'll get over it; don't worry."

"If I only ruined this weekend it wouldn't be a big deal but he's right about me; no one wants to spend a lot of time around me. I drive people away…Phillip said I've been doing it my whole life…starting with our dad."

"That's ridiculous," Lee said more loudly than he intended.

"No, Phillip IS right. Mom, Dad and Phillip were happy until I came along. Dad decided to move to Africa after I was born."

"Your dad moved to Africa because he wanted to take the EAO job not because he didn't want to be around you. He loved you when you were a baby and he loves you now. I can't speak for him but I think he has come to regret leaving you all behind for so long." _I can't believe I'm trying to explain the actions of the man who abandoned Amanda and two great boys in order to pursue his own dreams._

"Maybe you're right about Dad…he is trying to get to know us since he moved back." Lee started to relax as Jamie appeared to be reconsidering the reasons behind Joe's actions but then Jamie truly shocked him by asking, "What about you?"

"What about me," a wide eyed Lee asked.

"Phillip said that you and Mom would be married, or at least engaged, by now if I hadn't treated you so badly for so long. I don't know why I behaved the way I did. I've been feeling so many things that I don't understand, and I don't know who I can talk to about this kind of stuff. Please say that you'll give us a chance to be a whole family again; it would make Mom and Phillip and Grandma so happy."

"What about you," Lee repeated Jamie's earlier question to him. Jamie eyed Lee warily and Lee sensed that the boy was struggling to decide how open he wanted to be with him.

Jamie sighed deeply and replied," I'd be happy too. I don't know what it would be like to have a dad…step dad…around all the time but I think it would be good. I love my dad but he only comes around when he wants to and we mostly do the stuff that he wants to do. You spend a lot of time with us and you seem to care about our interests. Heck, you bought me the camera because you knew that I like photography. You're spending time with me while I use it even though you don't seem to…never mind." Jamie looked away from Lee, stopped pushing his soup around in the bowl and began eating it.

"I do enjoy spending time with you. I suspect that you believe that we don't have much in common but I think you'd be surprised by how alike we really are." _I have to convince him that I'm as nervous and unsure about the future as he is. The only way that I can truly earn his trust is to be as open with him as he's just been with me._ "Before I had dinner with your family for the first time, did your mom tell you and Phillip that there were certain questions that you shouldn't ask me?" Jamie looked at him for a long moment and then quickly took another spoonful of soup so Lee continued speaking. "She told you both not to ask me about my family or my childhood."

"How'd you know," Jamie asked as he once again made eye contact with Lee.

"I didn't know for sure but I suspected; your mom knows that I'm not comfortable talking about the loss of my parents and my unconventional childhood. You said that you don't know what it would be like to have a stepfather…I don't know what it's like to be part of a normal family. It's a kind of scary prospect…I love your family but I don't know if I'd really fit in."

"You love all of us," Jamie asked quietly.

"Yes, Jamie, I love you all but I'm new at this family stuff and I don't want to mess things up either. I guess we're in the same boat."

"If we're in the same boat and we're rowing in the same direction then I think that we'll make it to the shore without any trouble." Jamie finally allowed himself to believe that he wasn't responsible for any of the things that Phillip had blamed on him.

Lee smiled warmly at Jamie and asked," Are you sure you're only eleven years old?"

"Yup, I won't be twelve until November, why do you ask?"

"You suddenly seem much older... to be honest I think we both did some growing up tonight." They looked at each other for a long moment until they both felt the need to lighten the mood so Lee said," What's left of my soup has gotten cold again and I may have burned the egg rolls so are you ready to move on to the main course?"

"More than ready; I'm starving. Can we eat slowly…I'm in no rush to get home. I think that Mom is going to ground me until I'm old enough to leave for college," Jamie said half seriously.

"I don't think it'll be as bad as you think. I'll try to convince your mom that sometimes a guy just has to do something risky if he's doing it for a good reason." _With any luck at all Amanda will understand why Jamie came here alone and why I spoke to him about our future as a family without clearing it with her first. Who am I kidding? We're both in big trouble!_


	3. Chapter 3

A New Understanding, chapter 3

Lee and Jamie shared a comfortable and far ranging conversation during dinner and the drive to Arlington but as they approached Maplewood Drive their conversation faltered. They were privately contemplating how Amanda would react to their respective actions and the expressions on their faces reflected those concerns. Lee pulled the car up to the curb in front of the house that he hoped would soon be his home and reached to turn off the ignition.

"Lee, you don't have to come into the house with me if you don't want to. There is no sense in having Mom get angry at you too; and she will if you try to stand up for me. It means a lot to me that you offered to do it but-"

"No buts about it," Lee interrupted, "we're in this together." They got out of the car and ran through the rain to the front door which Amanda opened before Jamie could use his key.

"Lee, thanks for bringing Jamie home, I'll see you at the office in the morning," Amanda said in a dismissive tone. "Jamie, go upstairs and change out of your wet clothes and then come back down, we have a lot to talk about." Lee and Jamie shared a quick glance before he slipped past his mother; leaving Lee standing on the doorstep. "Good night, Lee," Amanda said as she moved to close the door.

"Amanda, we need to talk," Lee said as he used his hand to keep her from closing the door.

"Not tonight…I need to have a family talk with the boys."

"Am I or am I not a part of this family," Lee asked in a hurt voice.

"You know you are but now isn't the time to discuss that; the boys-"

"The boys are both concerned about where I fit into your lives; that's why Jamie came to me. You can send me away now but that won't resolve anything." Lee looked at his feet and then back up at Amanda, "Jamie really needs to talk to you; please hear him out. I love you and I don't want to cause any more problems so I'll leave." Phillip came up behind Amanda as she watched Lee trudge slowly back to his car.

"Where's Lee going? I thought that I could talk to him now since he wasn't here for dinner. I guess he didn't want to come in after he got stuck spending the evening with Wormbrain," Phillip complained.

"Phillip you know that you aren't supposed to call your brother names. Why would you say that Lee was stuck spending the evening with Jamie; Lee likes spending time with both of you."

"Lee tolerates Jamie; if he hadn't treated Lee badly for so long you two would be married by now. I told Jamie that he is ruining all of our lives-"

"I am not," Jamie yelled as he came down the steps, "Lee said that isn't the reason why he and Mom aren't married yet. He also said that it isn't my fault that Dad left." A momentarily shocked Amanda stood by silently absorbing what she'd just heard.

"It is too," Phillip argued.

"It is most certainly not true," Amanda interjected and then turned to her younger son. "Jamie, is that why you went to talk to Lee?"

"Yes, I know I broke a lot of rules today but I really want us all to be a family. Phillip said that I messed everything up and I believed him. You always tell us that if we do something bad, even if we didn't mean to, we should try to make things right," Jamie concluded looking away from Amanda much as Lee had done a few minutes earlier.

"Jamie, look at me," Amanda implored as she knelt in front of him. "I'm proud of you for wanting to fix things with Lee but you should have come to me about this. I thought that we could talk about anything."

"I couldn't talk to you about this because even it was my fault you wouldn't have admitted it; you're my mom so you'd try to protect me. Besides I'm getting older and there are some things I'd rather talk to a guy about. Lee and I have more in common than I thought; it'll be great when he can live with us," Jamie enthused.

"Did Lee tell you that he is going to move in with us," Amanda asked as her irritation with her husband flared again.

"Of course not; he'd have to propose and you'd have to accept his proposal first. Lee did tell me he loves us all and he's been waiting a long time to be part of a family again…Don't you love Lee; don't you want to marry him," a confused and concerned Jamie asked.

"Yes is the answer to both of your questions," Amanda responded as she ruffled Jamie's hair. _Lee, whenever I think that I couldn't love you any more_ _than I already do you say or do something to surprise me._ "Fellas, we have a lot to talk about but I don't want to have this conversation without Lee being here. I need to go call him; do you two think you can manage to get along with each other for a little while?"

"Yes, Mom," they chorused. Amanda chose not to call Lee's car phone because she didn't want to distract him while he was driving on rain slicked roads. She went up to her bedroom and waited until enough time lapsed for him to have driven home. Amanda nervously dialed his number and was disappointed when the answering machine kicked in.

"Lee, it's me, I love you and I'm sorry-" Amanda's apology was interrupted when Lee picked up the receiver at his end.

"What do you have to be sorry about? I'm the one that engaged in a very serious conversation with your son without consulting you about what I was going to say," Lee said contritely.

"You spoke from your heart and from what I gather you said all the right things. We didn't consider all the ramifications of this mystery marriage…we reacted out of fear. The trouble that Joe got into in Estoccia put the boys at more risk than our careers ever have. I'm not sure that the boys are old enough to be told about the Agency yet but they are more than ready to have you be their stepfather. Mother checks my hand for an engagement ring every time that I walk in the door; now the boys are going to be doing it too."

Amanda and Lee shared a laugh as they resolved that their family wouldn't have to wait very long for their dreams to be realized.


End file.
